Portal:Catholic Church/Patron Archive/December 4

Saint Barbara (Ancient Greek: Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; Coptic: Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; Church Slavonic: Великомученица Варва́ра Илиопольская; Arabic: القديسة الشهيدة بربارة), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Greek saint and martyr. Accounts differ over her birthplace, while some sources place her birth in the 3rd century in Nicomedia in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey; others place her birthplace in Heliopolis of Roman Phoenicia, present-day Baalbek, Lebanon. There is no reference to her in the authentic early Christian writings nor in the original recension of Saint Jerome's martyrology. (Full article...)
Prayer: Oh God, who among the other miracles of Your power, have given the victory of martyrdom, grant, we beseech You, that we, who are celebrating the heavenly Blessed Barbara, Your Virgin and Martyr, may by her example draw nearer to you. Amen

Attributes: Three-windowed tower, palm, chalice, lightning, a crown of martyrdom
Patronage: Armourers, Architects, Artillerymen, Firemen, Mathematicians, Miners, Tunnellers, Chemical Engineers, Prisoners, Russian Missile Strategic Forces
See also: Clement of Alexandria; John of Damascus; Giovanni Calabria